Conservatives Just Lost the War to Privatize the VA

washingtonmonthly.com – Two years ago, in the wake of a VA scandal involving employees at some VHA hospitals fudging data over long wait times, Congress passed legislation that attempted to reform the system. It did so in two main ways.

First, it created a so-called “Choice Program,” whereby vets who live more than 40 miles from a VA facility or had to wait more than 30 days for an appointment would be eligible to receive care from private doctors outside the VA system. This was widely seen as a trial run at outsourcing most or all VA health care